Page 52 of Watch Over Me

James moved so that he was face to face with Eddie, bathed in a soft, warm light of the bedside lamp as the rest of the room had grown dark while they slept.

"Hey, you okay?"

"I'm f-fine." Eddie's teeth started chattering, belying his words, and he had no idea what to do, other than burrowing further under the covers.

"That's probably residual shock," James told him gently. He hovered his hand over Eddie's neck for a second before resting it on Eddie's shoulder. "Unless you have some serious misgivings about—" he pointed at himself "—this."

"No!" Eddie protested loudly, needing to make this point clear. He tilted his head so it bumped into James's hand to hopefully make it even clearer.

Smiling now, James moved his hand to lie on the side of Eddie's neck.

Perfect. Eddie closed his eyes and enjoyed the heat seeping into him from the contact, but the shivers were back a moment later.

"I don't k-know wha-what's happening," he muttered, opening his eyes to meet James's concerned gaze.

"Like I said, probably the adrenaline." James rubbed his thumb along Eddie's jaw. "Humans aren't used to life-threatening situations, so we can't simply shrug them off."

"I was fine earlier." Eddie slipped his hands around James's waist and pressed them together again, seeking both warmth and closeness.

"You were still in shock," James whispered against the top of his head. "And your body was still ready for anything. Now it's trying to get back to normal but needs to dispose of whatever adrenaline that's left, first."

Eddie grimaced as another shudder ran through him. "This sucks."

"Yeah, I know."

Shit. Of course James knew. He'd served two tours and he'd probably seen things Eddie didn't want to imagine. Even now, he continued to put himself on the line every day for their clients. Sure, a kidnapping or a gun fight happened rarely, but they weren't out of the question, either.

"Hey, what is it?" James ran a hand over the back of Eddie's neck. "You can talk to me."

Eddie hesitated, unsure if it was a good idea or not, but when he opened his mouth, the words flew out of him faster than he could register the thought.

"I know you're used to that kind of thing, and I feel stupid for freaking out. In the end, nothing happened, and yet, I'm trembling like a little kid, hours later. It's stupid. Maybe everyone was right,youwere right, I should've never done any of it, should've stayed behind my computer and left the field agents to handle this. You all are pros and I'm… me."

He was glad he wasn't looking at James as he said all of that, but he wasn't glad for long, because James pulled back and lifted Eddie's head until he met his gaze again.

"You're you and you're incredible," James told him, hisvoice not leaving room for any discussion. "That wasn't an op, you were kidnapped in an attempt to extort your brother. And without any field experience, you not only held your own, but you also managed to lock them out and call for help. That's seriously impressive, Eddie. And I'm not telling you this because we're in bed together, or because of how highly I think of you on any given day. What you did today, many people with experience wouldn't be able to do. You must have seen that back in the office, too. Everyone was impressed."

"I wasn't shaking then."

James snorted humorlessly.

"Everyone in that conference room shook like a leaf at one point or another. I know I have, more than once. That's why I recognized what it is." He rubbed Eddie's neck again. "Trust me, you're doing well. Your body's having a normal reaction to an abnormal situation."

That last part let Eddie breathe a little easier. He was still shivering, but not as violently, and he could think more clearly now.

"I feel like, since the worst part is over, I shouldn't be like this," he admitted.

"The worst partisover," James said with a nod and a look in his eyes that reminded Eddie that he wasn't the only one who'd had a shitty day. "You're safe now. No one is threatening you or keeping you against your will. Your body simply needs to process this." James ran his teeth over his bottom lip. "It may take a while, too. Even though you're aware of the stress symptoms in theory, when they happen to you, it's… not fun. But you have our support, okay? You have me."

Eddie swallowed at that. "You have me."

His heart was ready to jump from joy, but a part of him wondered if he could count on keeping James for good.

"Too much?" James moved like he wanted to pull back,but Eddie caught his forearm and kept him in place.

"No!" He shook his head to underscore his point. "I just… I can't believe you're here. And if it's because of what happened today—"

"It's not," James cut in.

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